› added 11 years ago

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TIL the largest lake in the world used to be in Sahara, but the sun dried it out leaving behind sediments - however the wind carries away 700.000 tons of this mineral rich dust every day, blowing all the way to South America where it fertilizes the Amazon Rainforest

a86WZ TIL the chief of the German military cabinet Graf von Hülsen-Haeseler died in 1908 dressed in a pink tutu after trying to lift the Kaiser’s mood, when he suffered a heart attack.
Ookdg TIL that we've tiny mirrors (retroreflectors) on the moon to reflect the laser beams fired from earth to measure the lunar distance. The round-trip takes of about 2.5 seconds and the distance to the Moon can be measured with millimeter precision.
yQrmp TIL Despite of Nazis having a reputation for persecution of homosexuals, Ernst Röhm a founding father of Nazi party in Germany was an open homosexual. At one point he was ousted but asked to join back. Hitler was aware of his homosexuality and used intimate 'du' when referring to him.
v1LPD TIL that after selling KFC, Colonel Sanders started a new restaurant in his wife's name using the same recipe's, was sued by KFC's parent company, and actually settled out of court decisively in the Colonel's favor.
wLGeE TIL the U.S. Navy tried to remove a whale carcass with dynamite. A veteran with explosives training warned the amount of dynamite was far too much – advice that went unheeded. His brand-new car, purchased during a "Get a Whale of a Deal" promotion, was then flattened by a chunk of falling blubber.